Christmas Memories
by Shaz1
Summary: Callen feels down at Christmas- as his family seem to grow more and more distant the team help the only way that they ccan.


Christmas Memories  
By Shaz1

None of the recognised characters belong to me so please don't sue!

This is a little Christmas offering to try out my new iPad keyboard!

This is set in season 5- after episode 05x08

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Memories

"Ah come on G- what's the aternative?" the former seal asked his partner as the two men walked back into the office side by side.

"Sam please will you just leave it- I don't need you to mother me" Special Agent G Callen responded with a sigh, unable to hide his slight exasperation at his partner once more trying to push him.

"You can't be by yourself on Christmas Day G" Sam stated softly as the senior agents placed their bags on their respective desks.

"Sam I have spent many a Christmas exactly like that- Christmas doesn't mean the same to me as it does to you, you can't miss what you never had" he explained, holding on to his patience by the skin of his teeth as he spoke. Sam couldn't help the rush of sadness that enveloped him as he absorbed the words- he was spared from responding by a holler from upstairs.

"New case guys" Eric shouted to the two senior agents that looked back at him. Sam couldn't help the groan that escaped him at the words.

"On the day before Christmas Eve? Come on Eric" Sam complained as he walked up the stairs behind his partner.

"Sorry Sam- I don't allocate the cases"Eric defended as he moved to the computer in ops.

"No he doesn't Mr Hanna-I do" Hetty interjected.

"Sorry Hetty- I was just looking forward to spending Christmas with my family after everything that has happened this year" the agent stated sadly.

"Well then you best get this matter solved quickly- and then you will be able" Hetty commented with a smile. Callen grinned at the exchange, unwilling to get involved.

"What have we got Eric?" Callen asked as soon as he was sure it was safe to do so.

"Murdered marine- tossed into a dumpster just a couple of blocks away from Pendleton" Eric explained images illustrating his point on the screen in front of them.

"What do we have on him?" Sam asked, his attention back on the case.

"Exemplary service record- right up until three months ago when he failed a routine drugs test" Nell explained. "Then his entire conduct plummeted- missed role call several times, failed fitness assessments and back chatted his superiors" she added.

"Anything to suggest why?" Callen asked in surprise.

"The only thing in his record is a break up with a long term partner- four months ago. Obviously there is nothing to suggest why on record, however the details are known." Eric explained.

"Send them down to Kensi's phone please Eric- she can visit the ex with Deeks when they get here" the team leader instructed. "Is there any other family?" he asked.

"None- he was orphaned at the age of four and placed in foster care. Enlisted at the age of 18 as soon as he was able" Nell explained, only when she heard her own words did she recognise the similarities between the subject of their conversation and the team leader stood before her.

"Any links to drugs before he joined up?" Callen asked, storing the information but passing no comment.

"Nothing at all- and by all accounts he formed good attachments to foster carers and did well at school" Eric explained. Callen nodded as he took in the information.

"Me and Sam will head to Pendleton to get more information from his CO- let us know if anything more comes to light" he instructed softly as he headed out of the room, knowing that his partner would follow without checking.

LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

"You good G?" Sam asked as his partner failed to even attempt banter in the car.

"I'm fine Sam-why wouldn't I be?" the younger man responded without turning his head away from the window.

"You're almighty quiet that's all partner" Sam stated with a sigh.

"Just taking in the sights Sam- looking at the beautiful festive decorations all around" Callen stated with a grin that didn't reach his blue eyes. Sam remained unconvinced but chose not to comment, knowing full well that if he pushed his partner would merely close himself off completely.

"What do you make of the case? Murdered because of drugs debt?" Sam queried, trying to make conversation.

"What because he's a former foster kid he has to be an uncontrollable drug addict?" Callen snapped before he was able to stop himself.

"That's not what I said G" Sam replied quietly."You heard as well as I did that he failed a drugs test a few months ago around about the same time that his behaviour changed" Sam reasoned. Callen sighed at the logic to his partner's words.

"Sorry Sam" he muttered, suddenly feeling tired.

"Come on we're here- now play nice" Sam warned with a grin, Callen rolled his eyes at the warning as he followed the former Navy man into the camp.

LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

"It was you fault" Kensi stated for what had to be the tenth time in as many minutes.

"Look I have said I'm sorry" her partner replied as he buckled up in the passenger seat of her car.

"I have never been an hour late for work in my life- thank god Callen and Sam had already left otherwise I would never live it down" the junior agent complained.

"Look I will make it up for you on Christmas Day" he told her with a smile.

"You had better" she muttered as she set off driving to their destination. Deeks grinned to himself- satisfied that he had dodged his partner's anger for the rest of the day.

"What do you make of the case anyway?" he queried.

"Not sure, from the vague details we have it seems potentially drug related- but somehow it seems a bit too obvious" the now seasoned agent responded.

"How do you go from being a text booked marine to one on the edge of the brig that quickly?" Deeks questioned.

"Hopefully- this Marsha Goddard will be able to shed some light on it" the marine brat stated, not wanting to think of a marine falling so far from glory. Without further comment she indicated and turned into the driveway.

"I suppose we are about to find out" the detective agreed with a light smile as the two alighted from the car and headed in to speak with the soon to be distraught woman within.

LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

"Ok so he failed one drug test three months ago- then had a second one which he passed. It makes no sense Sam" Callen commented as the two agents got back in the challenger.

"There has to be more to it. From everything his team mates say he was the model marine- hard working, dedicated and diligent- so why would he possibly throw it all away on drugs?" Sam stated.

"I don't think he did Sam- I think there is far more to this than drugs use. Everything we have been told about him goes completely against him being a drug addled loser that has turned his back on the corps" Callen responded, a note of bitterness slipping into his tone despite his best efforts.

"That's great- now we just have to prove it" Sam challenged with a grim smile. Callen acknowledged with a nod- his mind already whirling as he tried to join the dots. The two agents lapsed into silence as they headed back to the office to link in with the rest of the team.

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Callen sat in silence as he looked through the files in front of him. He knew that his partner was itching to solve this case quickly for completely different reasons to him. He couldn't help but see the similarities between himself and the marine- the two of them had both survived uncertain childhoods- but come out fighting and made something of themselves simply from their own stubbornness and hard work, taking nothing from nobody as there was no one. He sighed- he knew that Sam wanted to solve it so he could enjoy Christmas with his family- Christmas meant very little to him, he had rarely actually a Christmas in the tradition sense- for him it was just another day. It had only once seen him receive a present for himself and that was the wonderful Roscoff family that had long since passed on. He sighed to himself at the thought- it could easily depress him if he hadn't become so accustomed to the life that fate had dealt him- no it simply just didn't matter. He cursed to himself as he allowed himself to get distracted from the case, he had to clear the marine's name- he couldn't let all of his hard work be for nothing, the young man had raised above his circumstances and fulfilled his role with pride and he couldn't let that be for nothing.

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"So Marsha agrees that Kelk was nothing other than the model marine- they broke up as he had voluntarily signed up for another tour. She had hoped that he would see out the rest of his service in the US and then they could settle down. When he told her about another tour she just snapped- she had visions of marriage and kids, but he couldn't walk away from his unit." Kensi explained, unable to keep a hint of pride from her voice.

"You don't go from that to hitting heroin" Sam stated, confusion evident in his voice.

"Maybe he didn't take it voluntarily- or maybe the sample was doctored" Callen mused. "Nell do some digging into the technician that took the sample and whoever ran the test- find out as much as you can about them. Eric look into how random the random sample was- check if it's an intelligence based thing or if it was truly a random check" Callen instructed as his mind whirled.

"On it" Nell acknowledged as she headed back upstairs to Ops. Callen sat back down at his desk- realising that there was little that they could do until the results of all the checks came back he sighed.

"Why don't you guys head on home- I am sure you lots of preparation for Christmas to do" he stated to his team mates.

"That sounds like the best idea you have had all day! Now when are we doing secret Santa?" Kensi asked with a grin- they all knew that their team leader didn't really do Christmas in the traditional sense, but every year they tried to at least make him feel a little festive- even if he did invariably buck against it.

"Ooooooh yeah when do we get pressies?" Deeks joined in with an excited grin all over his face. Callen couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at how young the LAPD detective looked at that moment.

"We'll do them tomorrow guys- hopefully the case will be finalised by then" Callen stated with a small smile of his own.

"Good- I still need to wrap mine" Sam commented- exchanging a glance with the younger team members- they had all been involved in Callen's gift this year and they were desperate for him to like it.

"Get off guys- I have a few things to follow up. I'll see you all in the morning" the senior agent told them as he got to his feet and headed up the stairs.

"What's eating at Callen?" Kensi questioned as soon as he was out of ear shot.

"It's this time of year- it always reminds him of what he never had" Sam explained gently.

"Is he spending the day at your place?" Deeks asked as he shrugged on his coat.

"No- every year he is invited and he never comes" Sam stated with a frustrated edge to his voice. "Prefers to spend it alone- or working"

"That's just wrong" Kensi muttered sadly. Slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading out of the office with a shake of her head.

"Christmas doesn't mean the same to everyone" Sam excused his partner lightly to the detective that still stood close by.

"I know that- Kensi is just all festive this year Sam, I suppose after everything that has happened this year she wants to celebrate everything that we have" Deeks stated in a rare flash of seriousness.

"Callen has had a tough year that's all"

"We all have Sam" Deeks argued softly.

"Deeks he has spent his whole life wondering who he is and where he came from- he finally thought he had found his father and with that the answers to all the questions of his past- yet he is now even further away from having a family than he ever was" Sam stated- for once being straight with the liaison officer.

"Can't he see he has family right here?" Deeks whispered.

"When you two are quite finished gossiping about me- how about you go home and worry about your own home lives?" Callen interjected angrily from behind them. The words had barely left his lips before his bag was on his shoulder and he as out of the door.

"Ah G- come back G!" Sam hollered on his feet and following his partner in the blink of an eye. Deeks cursed under his breath as he watched the partners disappear from sight. With one last glance over his shoulder up at ops he headed out himself.

LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

The next morning Callen was in ops at the crack of dawn relieved to find that Eric had chased up all of the enquiries as requested and the lead agent was pleased to see the result. He looked up from the files as he saw Kensi walking through the doors- he moved quickly handing her a styrofoam cup of coffee and taking hold of her elbow.

"Come on Kens- you're with me" he instructed as he guided her back through the door and to the his Jaguar.

"Where are we going?" she questioned as she followed the blur that was the team leader.

"To arrest a murderer" he responded getting into his car and starting the engine, screeching away from the building almost before she had fastened her seatbelt.

"Don't you want to wait for the others?" she asked seeing their bemused partners looking at them as they drove away at speed.

"It's nothing we can't handle ourselves Kens" he replied- his gaze not leaving the road in front of him.

"Am I missing something here Callen?" she asked as she attempted to take a sip from her coffee.

"Like what?" he asked, again his gaze not moving.

"Has something happened between you and Sam?"she asked.

"We aren't a married couple Kens- this is simply an attempt to finish the case so that you can all go off and enjoy Christmas"

"We can go and enjoy Christmas- yourself included" Kensi corrected lightly having no idea what was troubling her friend.

"What is with this sudden obsession with how I spend Christmas" he snapped in response, instantly recognising that he had overreacted "Sorry Kens- I didn't mean to snap" he immediately apologised.

"Hey no problem- I shouldn't have pushed" she added."So who are we going for?" she asked turning the attention back to the case.

"David Goddard- the brother of the ex girlfriend. It turns out he also works for the Navy- as a laboratory technician, he ran the tests on Kelk's blood sample. Apparently he was distraught when his sister chose to split up with Kelk over the new tour- hated to see his sister so broken hearted, tried everything to get Kelk to change his mind and leave the service" Callen explained.

"And when that failed he tried to get him thrown out by failing a drugs test" Kensi added joining the dots in her mind.

"Exactly" Callen agreed with a nod.

"So you were right Kelk wasn't using drugs- he really was a dedicated marine" Kensi observed.

"It's an easy mistake to make" Callen stated with a shrug. "Come on we're here" he stated as he pulled the car over and jumped out, gun instantly in his hand. "You take the back" he instructed gently heading straight to the front door. Kensi shook her head at the team leader not even taking the time to pull his vest on- she fastened the Velcro on hers and did as instructed hoping that neither of them would regret it.

LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

"He did what?" Sam asked- his voice a mixture of frustration and anger all of which was aimed at his partner.

"He has followed a lead Mr Hanna which is what he is paid to do" Hetty stated.

"But Hetty he has gone to arrest a murderer without backup" Sam argued.

"Miss Blye is more than capable of supporting Mr Callen Sam" Hetty responded her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now I suggest that you and Mr Deeks head on over to support your partners" she instructed before heading back to her desk. Sam sighed as she left the room certain that they would do as she bid.

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"I told you we needed backup" Kensi muttered as she held the blood soaked gauze against her friend's head.

"We got him didn't we" Callen argued with a wince looking at the dead body on the floor. "And we cleared Kelk's name in the process" he added as he raised his hand to touch the bleeding wound at his forehead.

"You are going to have to go to a hospital Callen- this needs stitches"she told him looking at the freely bleeding angry wound.

"I'll be fine" he argued.

"I'll be the judge of that" a third voice entered the conversation. Callen groaned as he realised that his partner had clearly arrived. "Come on G- I'll take you to hospital while Kensi and Deeks sort the clean up" he stated and received a nod from the junior agent. Callen sighed in a long suffering way before reluctantly following his partner- ignoring the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him. Kensi grimaced at him as he passed knowing how much her friend hated hospital- but also knowing that he needed to be seen to.

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Callen closed his eyes as he rested his head against the bed- feeling exhausted and sick as his head spun.

"Go home Sam- I'm fine" he muttered- not opening his eyes.

"Like hell G- why did you go off without me and Deeks?" the seal questioned- hating his partner's lone wolf tendencies.

"It was a simple arrest Sam" Callen replied his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes and look how it turned out G" Sam responded with a sigh. "What the hell happened anyway?"

"Bullet- only just dodged it" Callen replied tiredly.

"You got shot in the head?" Sam asked incredulously. "Jesus G" Sam swallowed back on the bile that threatened to rise in his throat as he thought of how close he had just come to losing his best forever.

"It's not as bad as it sounds Sam" Callen reasoned.

"Well Agent Callen I see that you luck still hasn't run out" Henry stated as he stepped in to check on the latest mishap his patient had got himself into. "All of your scans have come back clear- but you do have a concussion. Now I know you will ignore my advice but I am going to give it to you anyway. You need to rest- no driving no chasing any suspects and absolutely no getting hit on that head. I also recommend that you stay with someone tonight although I expect you will ignore that advice as well" the canny doctor explained. "Now you need to come back on Monday for those stitches to be removed- so no tearing them open" he advised with a smile.

"Thanks doc" Callen acknowledged easing himself upright.

"He can stay with me" Sam stated from his position at the door- unsurprised by the sharp intake of breath by his partner. "And he will follow your advice" Sam promised.

"Well I suppose it is Christmas- miracles can happen" Henry stated with a grin "Merry Christmas gentlemen" he stated as he left with a small wave.

"Come on man- lets get you home" Sam invited helping his friend from the bed.

"No take me to Ops" Callen requested gently.

"You heard him G- you need to rest" Sam stated warningly.

"I know Sam- and I will, I just need to make sure the case is finished first" he promised softly.

"Okay fine" the older agent agreed reluctantly.

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"What on earth are you doing here Agent Callen?" Hetty greeted her clearly injured agent as the two men walked into Ops slowly.

"Just need to finish up Hetty" he replied as he eased his way over to his desk- the bandage around his head and bruising clearly visible beneath it made it obvious he was struggling.

"It's all finalised G. The laptops have evidence all over them that Goddard tampered with the drugs results- it also shows search results for gradual doping. His hate campaign went further than we realised as it appears money was being siphoned from Kelk's bank accounts- a betting account established in his name but traced to the IP address of Goddard. It is case closed" Kensi told her friend as she squeezed his shoulder.

"Oh thank god" Callen muttered.

"Now enough of all this- we are officially on leave for the holidays! It's time to party" Hetty stated with a sweep of the hand. Callen couldn't help the groan that escaped him at the words.

"Lets exchange Christmas stories!" Kensi suggested with a clap of her hands. "My favourite Christmas was when I was six- my father bought me a new pink bike with a flower basket on the front of it and a bell" Kensi told them her eyes shining as she spoke. "Then we all went to my aunt's for dinner and my Mum gave me a new dress and did my hair all pretty. It was magical- full of laughter and happiness and the whole family were there" she told them- her eyes twenty years in the past as she remembered the love she had felt on that day. Suddenly it dawned on her- Callen had no memories like those ones, he had no family to share those special days with. No memories of any family never mind Christmas and she was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought. "Anyway this is a stupid game- why don't we do secret Santa?" she suggested as she realised her mistake.

"That is a better idea Miss Blye" Hetty agreed instantly recognising why the agent had made the suggestion. "Why don't you go first Mr Callen" she suggested. Callen sighed but didn't want to spoil Christmas Eve for the rest of the team. Tentatively he opened the brightly wrapped parcel and looked at what was inside it. He gasped as he caught sight of it and couldn't help the tears that welled in his eyes.

"Thank you" he whispered.

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A few hours later and Callen was home, pain killers swallowed without argument as his pounding head dictated they were required. He sat in his solitary chair as he starred at his present. After a few moments he got to his feet and carefully hammered a nail in the wall close to the mirror over the mantle. He turned and picked up his present. In his hands he held the best present he had ever received- the beautiful oak frame held a collection of photographs. The top left one was the office Christmas party from the year before- all of the team in their Christmas hatss. The top right was a shot that he had recently discovered of him with the Roscoffs enjoying a Christmas day walk around the park. The edges held various festive shots of him and his work family. It was the centre one that had him so captivated. It was a shot of him with his father and sister- black and white and nearly forty years old, rescued from an old projector reel and beautifully restored. He swallowed on the sob that threatened to escape him as tears streamed down his cheek. The montage showed the stages of his life- and all of the family that he knew of. It was more than a present to him- it was a cherished possession that he knew he would keep close by for the rest of his life- it was his family.

Maybe he would go round to Sam's house the next day- Christmas was a day to be with family after all.

The End

Merry Christmas!


End file.
